Hollywood deliciousness

Yes.... it's been a while. I'm lazy and I'm not ashamed to say it. I had an amazing weekend filled with great friends, great entertainment and of course great food!

Cleo in Hollywood is a MUST for everyone who lives here. Portions are small and slightly pricey but extremely worth it. Order a variety of things and share it family style. We had everything from Octopus, hummus, brussel sprouts, pork belly, artichokes/olives. It sounds like nothing just spelling it out to you but it was by far the best food I have tasted. The waiter was great with my gluten issue and I did not get sick :) I must go again.... and so should you. 

http://www.cleorestaurant.com/

Other creations

Ask and you shall receive! A few people have asked that I post entries about my crafts along with my baking and cooking. I will start doing that. The link below is to my "creations" album in Facebook.

Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.610137527646.2149608.30511746&type=1&l=a721fa6bf9 

Gluten Free is the way to be!

Over the past few months, I discovered that I had Celiac Disease (CD). Never in my dreams would I have ever imagined how much gluten could affect my body and my health. It was like night and day. I don't want to bore you or freak you out with my past and present nightmares of CD so we will skip it and move on to the important stuff.

How does one, who has baked all their life, drastically change the science and ingredients of baking in order to make it Gluten Free (GF)??

I was hesitant to do my first batch of anything in fear that it would taste awful. I have had my fair share of GF and Vegan goodies and they have been..... interesting...... but not my cup of tea.

So we start off simple. Chocolate Chip Cookies. That should be easy right?! WRONG! Even the simplest recipes need to be carefully examined. Is your baking powder GF? How about your vanilla extract? Well, I went to whole foods and made sure all my stuff was quality and GF.

Mine came out slightly flat but still chewy and delicious. It also had a crunchy consistency on the outside and they were a hit with my taste testers. SUCCESS!

Under the sea!

Well I was asked to help cater a birthday party and I accepted! Her theme of course was great. The little mermaid!! Everyone loves ariel. Since the movie is older, there wasn't much for cupcake toppers so I went ahead and created my own. Sorry this post is a little late. I've been so busy that I'm past due on a few posts. Enjoy!

Coconut craziness

I love coconut. I found this recipe on Bon Appetit. Vanilla bean coconut cupcakes.

The icing was creamy but I wish it came out a little thicker. Either way it was great and I topped it off with toasted coconut flakes. I ran out of vanilla beans so I used vanilla paste instead and it was an excellent substitute.

Strawberry cupcakes

I recently went to Sprinkles in Beverly Hills and decided to have their strawberry cupcake. It was fantastic-- moist, delicious and you could definitely taste the fresh strawberries.

Since I don't live near that area I decided to make a cupcake like the sprinkles strawberry cupcake at home!! I received many compliments and I was happy with the taste of this creation!!

Balsamic Strawberries

Balsamic vinegar and strawberries?!?!?!

YES!!! one of the best combinations! Get three containers of strawberries (wash and cut them of course) then add 4 TB of balsamic vinegar and 1/3 cup of sugar. Mix it up and refrigerate them for at least one hour, this will allow the strawberries to macerate and all the juices to combine and taste delicious!